Automation saves pool owners time, money

(NewsUSA) - No one would purchase a television without a remote, yet many people install pools without bothering to get them automated -- a move that can cost pool owners thousands of dollars and hours in routine pool maintenance a year. The luxury of pool and spa automation is now available to the millions of pool owners who thought it was unaffordable.

Automation can be added to any pool at any time. With an automated pool, owners can stop flipping switches to control pool functions, and they can skip scrubbing, vacuuming, and adding chlorine. Owners can control their pools' heaters, pumps, filters, chlorinators, spa jets, lighting, cleaners, solar heating and cooling automatically or via remote control.

According to Hayward Pool Products, which makes OnCommand, a small aftermarket controller that automates basic pool functions, automated pools save more than time. Automated pools can save up to 70 percent on pool operating costs every season -- savings that can add up to $1,200. The key is finding the right solution for every backyard.

Some products, such as LED lights, are simply more efficient. Others can be automated to find additional savings. For example, pool owners can save up to 90 percent in energy costs with a variable-speed pump. Pool owners can better manage the water temperature to save on heating bills, raising the temperature only when they know that the pool will be in use. It's the same principle as a digital home thermostat. Ever crank up your heater and forget to turn it down? Remember that month's energy bill?

The right combination of equipment can continuously balance pH and sanitize water. Some automated pools offer integrated salt chlorination, which makes chlorine from ordinary salt. Automating sanitation does more than take the hassles of water chemistry away, it eliminates red eyes, itchy skin and chemical odors. Water remains clean, clear and soft automatically.

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